11 Benefits Of Consuming High Protein Diet

Promotes Muscle Growth

Proteins are the core components of muscles. Hence, eating a sufficient amount of protein may help to increase muscle mass. Moreover, you may observe muscular growth due to adequate protein consumption.

People doing heavy exercises or weight lifting need sufficient protein to heal their muscles. Due to heavy workouts, the muscles and tissues experience excess stress and may get micro-tears.

As a result, keeping a high-protein diet plan could be essential. Here, protein may help to heal the damage and help muscles grow. The study^[1] has proven that protein consumption may have a significant role in retaining muscle mass during the weight loss process.

It prevents the muscles from being used as fuel for different metabolic activities.

Keeps The Bone Healthy

Calcium is an essential element in keeping the bone strong and healthy. But, you might not know that proteins take up to 55% of the volume of human bones.

Moreover, they contribute up to 33% of bone mass. You may not know that proteins are an essential structural component of the bone.

Generally, human bone undergoes continuous changes or remodeling in the matrix. The remodeling includes several processes like collagen cross-linking that may change several amino acids.

Also, the bone may release many collagen fragments, which won’t be used further. Hence, to replace the releasing fragments, high protein diets are essential.

Proteins may play^[2] several other roles in keeping the bone healthy. It helps to increase IGF-1 secretion that may increase intestinal calcium absorption, suppresses parathyroid hormone, etc., responsible for maintaining the bone strong.

Increases Burning Of Fat

You may be surprised that proteins may help burn fat faster. Protein-rich foods might have higher calories, but they prevent consuming^[3] food excessively.

People having a high protein diet plan for weight loss may get less or equal to the required calories you need for the day, creating a metabolic state suitable for fat burning.

Additionally, protein diets or foods are challenging to digest and take more time for complete digestion. Whatever you eat, you need calories to digest.

Similarly, proteins take longer to digest, hence, they require more energy to break down than other nutrient foods. In short, you may say, a high protein-rich diet may enhance the rate of thermogenesis in the body.

Lowers Blood Pressure

High blood pressure has been a significant cause of several heart conditions. But, you may reduce the risk^[4] of developing such health conditions by increasing your protein intake.

According to a survey, people consuming proteins from various sources have reduced the chances of developing high blood pressure by 66%.

Moreover, people consuming a moderate amount of protein regularly have significantly reduced their overall blood pressure.

Another study^[5] related to blood pressure revealed that increased protein might help reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Additionally, proteins may help lower bad cholesterol and triglyceride concentration, resulting in balanced blood pressure.

Besides protein-rich food, there are many other foods, foods that lower blood pressure for bringing down blood pressure naturally.

Reduces Appetite And Hunger

High protein-rich foods are heavy diets that may help lower the appetite and hunger of an individual. Moreover, protein-rich foods contain higher calories in less quantity, hence, a high protein-rich diet may make you feel full throughout the day.

The study^[6] has shown that proteins may help reduce ghrelin levels, the hormone responsible for hunger. Hence, as protein lowers the hormone level, you may feel more sated.

Additionally, the protein-rich food may help increase the hormone that gives you the feeling of fullness, i.e., peptide YY. As a result, an individual’s food cravings marginally drop without reducing the overall muscle mass.

Keeps You Fit In Older Age

When people start aging, they enter a vulnerable state with weak bones, low muscle mass, and slow metabolic activities. Here, protein may have a role in reducing the vulnerability of the condition.

People at an older age are prone to a condition called sarcopenia. The condition causes gradual muscle loss in an individual, leading to frailty, bone fractures, weakness, and other health conditions.

A high protein-rich diet could be highly beneficial in preventing^[7] sarcopenia in older people and maintaining bone strength.

Additionally, older people doing minimum weight lifting and other physical activities alongside protein intake may boost their overall strength and energy.

Helps Recover Faster From Injuries

Injuries or muscle tears are common during exercising and other sports activities. Proteins could be a beneficial nutrient to heal wounds and other muscle conditions quickly.

Generally, due to a sports injury like fractures or severe cuts, the particular body part turns immobile. The immobility may cause a decrease in the strength and muscle mass of the person.

But, protein-rich food may help reduce muscle loss. Moreover, protein intake also helps reduce inflammation, which could cause slow recovery.

As per research^[8], it has been revealed that high protein consumption may help recover the lost muscle due to injury. Hence, it is an essential nutrient to consider during injuries.

Helps To Get Better Sleep

You may say that sleep is directly linked to a proper diet^[9] or meal. A good meal at night may help you get better sleep. Hence, a high protein-rich diet could be highly helpful in getting better sleep.

A good and high protein-rich diet may give you a sense of fullness throughout the night. It is said that consuming a moderate amount of protein before sleep may help achieve better sleep quality.

Moreover, by creating a balance between protein and calorie consumption, you may be able to sleep more efficiently. The balance may help establish a regular sleep pattern good for overall health.

High protein diets may also reduce late-night snacking, which may interrupt sleep. It also reduces dopamine secretion responsible for food cravings and addiction.

Lowers Blood Sugar Level

Diabetes and insulin resistance are two major concerns for people worldwide. These two conditions contribute to a significant cause of several health diseases.

But, a high protein diet could help lower the blood sugar level. Generally, the blood sugar level increases due to two primary factors, i.e., genetics and an unhealthy and carbohydrate-rich diet.

Moreover, the lifestyle and inactivity of people may also contribute to their increased blood sugar levels. Here, a protein-rich diet may help by reducing sugar intake.

Protein-rich food makes you feel full in small portions. Hence, it lowers carbohydrate consumption, which may reduce overall^[10] blood sugar levels.

Moreover, protein-rich food may help minimize insulin resistance, one of the major causes of increasing blood sugar.

Improves Immune System Abilities

The immunity of an individual is significantly linked to protein consumption. You may need to consume sufficient protein-rich food to have a healthy immune system.

Proteins may significantly contribute^[11] to the making of immunoglobulins or antibodies and interferons.

A healthy interferon level in the body may support immune system cells and potentially fight against several pathogens like bacteria, viruses, and other substances.

Moreover, sufficient antibody production would help fight against all the antigens attacking the immune system. Protein may have a beneficial effect on the T-cell system of an individual.

The T-cell system contains two critical factors, i.e., killer T-cells and helper T-cells. The killer T-cells may help destroy the attackers while helper T-cells complement or support the killer T-cells.

Hence, higher protein consumption would enhance the immune response of an individual.

Produces Different Enzymes

Enzymes play a crucial role in catalyzing several biochemical reactions in the body. All the different enzymes present in the body are primarily composed of proteins.

These enzymes take part in important metabolic actions like muscle contraction, breakdown of molecules, impulse transmission, etc.

Hence, a drop in the level of an enzyme would affect the related metabolic activity. Therefore, supplying the body with sufficient protein-rich food would help increase the production of essential enzymes.

Moreover, protein may boost^[12] the role of enzymes in different biochemical reactions.